


it's the people who lie

by GlitterDwarf



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexuality, Cheating, F/F, F/M, Infidelity, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:07:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24533560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlitterDwarf/pseuds/GlitterDwarf
Summary: Kay looks like a queen in a well-deserved throne, and Audra thinks that she would love to get on her knees and worship.Or, Audra meets Kay, and everything that happens next is inevitable.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Audra Phillips, Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Kay McCall/Audra Phillips, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rxpunzels](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rxpunzels/gifts).



> Because I have no ideas on my own, this entire fic sprung out of the fabulous and talented [rxpunzels](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rxpunzels) talking about Kaudra affair smut. Then I checked AO3 and there AREN'T ANY?? KAUDRA MAIN RELATIONSHIP FICS??? So after I died inside I plotted all of this out.
> 
> General notes:  
> \- Rated E but smut won't happen until Chapter 3  
> \- Other relationships in the tags besides Kay/Audra and Audra/Bill are largely background but will have their time to shine  
> – Everyone will end up happy, I promise, but Audra is kind of Going Through It so there's some angst to start with  
> – Kay's FC is Danai Gurira and that's that on that

Wake up, 4:30 a.m. Monday. Empty bladder. Change into workout clothes, the Givenchy leggings, the Fendi sports bra. Audra goes downstairs, lets her trainer in. She takes the offered protein shake to down, which she has been assured is cruelty-free, vegan, non-GMO, all-organic, farm-to-table, both paleo and keto. Sweat, burn, tighten, focus. _Focus._ Shooting may be over but appearances are _not._ Before she knows it the promo circuit is going to start. She‘s lucky enough to still be a working actress over 40, she can’t push her luck at _all._ Tighten, harder, more weights. 

Cool down. Hydrate. Post-workout snack, a handful of organic almonds and organic raspberries. Sugar, necessary. Heads to her at-home gym’s shower, with the rain shower heads and heated flooring. Cleanse. Exfoliate. Dry skin gone, worries gone.

Step out of the shower, and treat her skin immediately. Oil cleanse, for sixty seconds. Gel cleanser. Chemical exfoliant. Hydrating toner. Essence. Hydrating toner. Serum. Hydrating toner. Moisturizer. Face oil. Caudalié, Éminence, Sunday Riley, La Mer, True Botanicals. Body lotion, body oil. Fragrance, light but sexy. Hair treatments, sprays, light product. Specialized treatments, must keep the blonde as pure as possible, non-brassy, light. Looks in the mirror. Almost presentable.

Dress. Nothing to do outside the house today, she can just get away with loungewear. Alexander Wang, maybe? She’s felt weird wearing Rogan + Marsh, despite the fact that their silk loungewear set has been her favorite for a long time. Stella McCartney, perhaps, instead.

Go back to the bedroom. Bill is still there. Despite being asleep, he looks almost sickly now. He’s been locked in his office lately more often than not, pounding out his newest novel. She’s walked past and heard him on the phone more often than his usual, though. In the past, when he’s been on the phone the muffled conversation had sounded so tense, so distraught. Expectations to meet, people to let down. These days, though, she swears she catches him _giggling_ through the door. Probably something to do with reconnecting with his friends. She’s happy, of course, to hear that noise, something she honestly wasn’t sure he could still do. Remember, then. Remember when they were newlyweds, couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Whispers in the night, laughter pressed into warm and tan skin. Friendship, camaraderie so deep you could only express it by fucking each other crazy. Definitely ancient history at this point.

Audra crawls back into bed and lightly runs her hand down Bill’s back. He mewls into it, presses back in his sleep. She absent-mindedly rubs his back, looking at her phone with her other hand. Checks Twitter, checks her email. Her stylist has sent her some options for the children’s hospital charity event in a few months. They’re fine, but they aren’t anything special. Maybe she can look for something on her own? She has time. She has time… 

Go get changed again. Who cares if there’s nothing she _has_ to do outside the house today, she can do _something._ Doesn’t she deserve a treat? Maybe a full, healthy breakfast, somewhere hip. Some shopping. Lunch even? She could do it all by herself. There’s no shame in that. Maybe...yes, Rogan + Marsh today. Even if just by proxy, it could almost feel like she’s with someone, an acquaintance. Thinks about Beverly, sweet girl, poor baby. Going through so much. Divorce, and a messy one, never good for your health. Maybe she should check in with her, see how she’s handling things. Would that be weird? To have your childhood friend’s wife contact you out of the blue with concern? Audra thinks of how it might feel if it were happening to her and...nah. She’ll just, well, maybe tell Bill to pass along her message, but a light one. “Thinking of you.” “I’m here, if you want to talk.” “You’re so brave.”

Audra heads to the Beverly (hmm, a sign?) for a quick bite at The Polo Lounge. She thinks of her nutritionist, sighs, gets the seasonal fruit plate (a steal at $22) and asks them to hold the pound cake. A pressed juice would be a lovely bonus, yes? The iron man, with aloe, coconut water, ginger, lemon, cayenne, activated charcoal. Very good, very trendy. Maybe add a boost of celery, turmeric, whey protein isolate. A $40 pressed juice, sure, but she’s going to need the energy for all the fun and shopping she’s going to have. 

She eats leisurely, slowly, but there’s no rush, is there? She brought with her Bill’s latest draft to comb through. It’s, truly, much better than she was expecting. There’s a lot of sappy overtures about friendship, and maybe she’s biased but it’s kind of nice to see him get so emotional about relationships again. She knew already that reconnecting had been great for his mental health; to have the evidence right in front of her is...well, it’s honestly almost overwhelming. She dabs at her eyes (God, let’s hope there aren’t any photographers around; crying by herself over breakfast would _not_ be a good look) with her napkin and puts the draft away. Better to just finish the fueling and get right to the fun part.

Shopping on Rodeo is so cliche, but it sounds kind of fun right now. Where should she start today? Bottega Veneta? Balenciaga? Celine? She looks longingly at the window display outside La Perla, for a moment. It would be nice, wouldn’t it? Something new, something flimsy, more a brush of lace and silk against her breast and her vulva. Something peachy, maybe, just barely different than the color of her flushed skin. Soft hands slowly caressing over the fabric, flicking it to the side, pressing into her, slowly, gently.

Hm. Maybe this is better for online shopping, she thinks, pressing her thighs together momentarily before moving on. Valentino to start with, then.

Everything is nice. Nothing is quite perfect, but everything is at least nice to look at. Nice to touch, too; Audra runs her fingers along the silky fabric on the racks as she walks past them. Casual, lingering, but ultimately uninterested. A poor sales person comes up to her, asks her if she can be helped with anything? No, Audra sighs. Nothing _here_ can help her.

She travels through multiple stores like this. Everything looks beautiful, but nothing stands out. Nothing grabs her, nothing excites her. It’s store after store of silk, organza, the occasional light-catching sequin. Violet, cerulean, mustard yellow, and then cream after cream after cream. Buttermilk, off-white, eggshell, all flimsy, breathable fabric that looks like it would disintegrate under her fingertips if she touched it too hard, wanted it too much. 

Eventually, Audra leaves the miles of luxurious fabric behind. Nothing feels satisfying.

Before she goes home, though, Audra gives food one more shot. She goes to The Belvedere inside The Peninsula Beverly Hills, throws a smile at the nice server. What would she like to eat? Oh, probably just the charred caesar, hold the croutons. Would she like something to drink with that? Perhaps the Chablis? It pairs surprisingly well with kale, after all. Well, sure. She won’t be driving for a minute anyway. Might as well. 

Audra eats slowly, again. The plate is fairly small, but she still takes her time with it, far past the point where her chilled glass warms up to room temperature. This time she doesn’t look at Bill’s work. She just...sits, watching. She’s the only person dining solo in the entire hotel, which almost never happens. Everywhere she looks there are people talking, holding hands, laughing. She isn’t bitter about this. She’s just. Well. Alone.

Her phone vibrates, and she almost jumps out of her chair. Audra grasps it immediately and presses yes, accept, _yes,_ before even looking at the name on the screen.

“Hello?” she greets the caller, voice as carefully neutral as possible. She’s a good actress, after all, so she’s sure that she gets away with it, excited but not _too_ desperate. 

“Audra!” The voice on the other line is clear, excited, high-pitched. Bev. “Are you free right now?”

Audra looks around and chokes back a laugh. “Yeah, I’m a little busy, but I always have time for you, Bev. What’s up?”

“So I’m getting into town tonight, and I wanted to know if you’re free tomorrow? I’m meeting with some investors throughout the week, but I wanted to get in a little early to see people I actually like.”

“Oh, sure,” Audra laughs. “I can’t promise Bill will be free, though. He’s been a little holed up in his office writing.”

“Oh sweetie, I didn’t call Bill, I called _you._ I wanted to see _you._ Trust me that I have enough masculine energy in my life.”

“So Ben is doing great, I take it?” The breathless, almost crazy-sounding laugh from Bev is answer enough.

“As I said, I’m drowning in masculine energy.” There’s a brief silence on the other end; it sounds like Bev has stopped walking, and has switched her phone to the other ear. “Audra, I know we’ve only met a couple of times, but I really enjoy being around you. I want us to be real friends. Besides you and one other woman, it’s just dude after dude in my phone and it, well. It sucks sometimes.”

“Yeah, I uh...I know how that feels.” Audra _is_ alone now, after all; besides Bill the only people in her phone are professional connections and people she pays to pay attention to her. “I could always use more friends.”

“Yay! I was hoping you would say that, because the only other woman I’m friends with just moved to LA and could use some friends herself. Do you mind meeting up with both of us tomorrow? Maybe for brunch?” 

“Yeah,” Audra says, probably too-quickly, too-desperate. “I would really, _really_ like that, Bev. And, God, before I forget to say it–I’m so sorry I forgot!–congrats on investor meetings! I just know you’re going to do some amazing things, and I can’t wait to see them.”

“Aww, you’re such a sweetie,” Bev coo’s. “I can’t wait to see you! I’ll text you!”

“Okay! Travel safe, Bev! Bye!” 

After hanging up, Audra just stares at her phone for a second, grinning. This is such a good sign, this is _such a good sign!_

She pays her lunch bill, leaves a sizable tip for the poor waiter (hopefully they’ll be discreet and not sell her out for being such a sad, desperate B-list actress) and hurries home. Now she has something to actually look forward to.

When she gets home, she steers immediately to Bill’s office and knocks. There’s a muffled noise as he says goodbye to somebody, slams something closed, and comes to the door. She takes a step back. He needs his space, after all.

“Oh, hi!” he says brightly when he opens the door. “Did you need something?”

“No.” Audra smiles at her husband (the word feels, well. It feels.) and focuses on keeping her tone light. “Just wanted to check in on you. After being away from home. All day.”

“Ah, sorry Auds, I didn’t realize you were gone.” He chuckles and runs two of his fingers along his hairline. His tell. He’s nervous, and she doesn’t know why. “I’ve been working all day.”

“That’s great, Billy. I took a look at the last draft you sent me, and it’s really great. You can really feel the friendship and the love. Honestly, it’s some of your best work.”

Bill flushes then. Her fingers itch to feel his skin, remembers so many times in the past when she had felt his skin hot under her fingertips. Taut, slippery with sweat, her fingers dragging along his back. But that’s not how it is now. Now, they’re completely separate, and she gets the feeling that she shouldn’t draw attention to his reddened skin. 

“Wow, really? That means a lot, actually,” he laughs, but it sounds a little tight, nervous. “I was. Well. I’ve been nervous about this one.”

“You shouldn’t be.” She takes a chance, then, reaches a hand out. Her palm lands on his forearm, friendly and light. “It’s really good, Bill.” 

He smiles and flinches away from her touch, just a little. It’s slight, so slight, barely multiple atoms thick, and yet she can feel the cavernous space deep in her molecules. She takes her hand back, shoves it in her pocket. Smooth, it’s fine, this doesn’t feel like anything.

“Oh and, ah, Billy, Bev called me.”

“Oh really? That’s great!” His smile seems genuine now, and this only stings a little. Is it the mention of his friends in general that has him looser, happier, or is it Bev in particular? She couldn’t blame him if it were. Bev is, well. She’s something else, a goddess. “How is she? What did she want?” 

“She’s gonna be in town tonight, actually. Wanted me to get brunch with her tomorrow. Well, her and another friend.”

“Aww, Auds. I think that will be so nice for you. I love that you’re,” Bill begins, but then his voice gets caught in his throat. He looks away, and when he looks back he’s a little choked up. “I love that you’re getting along with my friends. I want everybody most important to me to get along.”

Audra gives Bill the smallest, happiest smile. “I love you, Billy.”

“Love you, too, Auds.” He clears his throat, then looks away. “Well, I should get back to work. Maybe we can all meet up this week when she’s in town?”

“Yeah, I’ll ask her tomorrow.”

“Awesome. Love you!”

“Love you.”

She loves him.

She does.

She _does._

–

Audra drives all the way to Downtown for Bev, which feels like the first (and ultimate) test of friendship. Bev chose the restaurant at The NoMad, which is a cute, classy location to meet up. A little dark inside (being a former bank will do that, she guesses), but the ambiance is nice. Walking in, it almost feels like walking onto a set, like some mid-2010’s indie rock should be playing, like her life should be about to change.

Bev is already there, with her friend; Audra could spot that fiery bob from miles away. She’s turned to face the general direction Audra is coming from, so she can see that million-watt smile, lighting up the dim room. She catches Bev’s eye, and her smile widens just a little. Bev stands up and waves her entire arm, motioning for Audra to come quick, and it’s so goddamn endearing that Audra can’t help but grin and pick up the pace a little, only tripping _slightly_ in her five-inch Fendi platforms. 

Bev’s friend turns around in her seat, and Audra almost trips for real; she’s so goddamn beautiful. She can’t stop staring at the other woman and she crosses the room, eyes only snapping to Bev’s when she’s standing right in front of their seats.

“Hey!” Audra says, probably a little too loud. She opens up her arms a little, and Bev jumps into them, squeezing tight. “Oh, fuck,” she laughs, squeezing Bev right back.

“Audra! It’s so nice to see you in person again,” Bev crows, just slightly too-loud for the enclosed space, but it’s such an endearing sound from her that Audra is sure even demons from hell would be charmed into submission by her voice. “Oh shit, you smell great. What is that?”

“Fucking Fabulous, Tom Ford,” Bev’s friend says with a lopsided smile. Audra puts a hand on the back of Bev’s friend’s chair and smiles down at her. The other woman’s gaze travels up Audra’s body, from her heels, up her bare legs, to her exposed collarbone, to her styled hair, and back down to her eyes. The gaze is just slightly too slow to be platonic, but not so slow as to be obvious. Audra can feel her heartbeat accelerate, pulsing in her palm where she has gripped the chair. She could stretch her fingers slightly, ever so slightly, and caress the friend back, physically, repay her for the touch of her gaze. “Am I wrong?”

Audra has to stop and force herself to think for a moment. What were they even talking about? Oh yeah, the fragrance.

“Great nose,” Audra says, voice lowered just slightly. “I love a woman who knows her fragrances.”

“And I love a woman with taste,” Bev’s friend says with a slow grin. “Kay McCall.”

“Audra Phillips.” 

They each reach for each other’s hands. When they shake, Audra tries very hard to not feel the touch of Kay’s palm on her own and immediately imagine it all over her body. She fails. Spectacularly. 

The seating in this room is luxurious and decadent, but not so conducive to making “accidental” brushes of your arm or foot against the new, beautiful person you just met. And she is, that is. Beautiful. Kay is stunning, truly, with deep brown skin that’s glowing softly in the dim lighting and dark brown, almond-shaped eyes. She looks incredibly chic, in a loosely-tailored red suit with a soft-looking white t-shirt and white sneakers. Her hair is cropped very short, tight curls on the top a little longer, then a skin fade line, and then a fade melting shorter and shorter until there’s nothing left but beautiful skin. Her face is bare, and Audra can’t decide if she would rather kiss it or hear the whole skin care routine first. Even being a foot away feels like too much to Audra, but the set up of the restaurant demands it. So, Audra slides into the thickly padded booth next to Bev, while Kay stays in the wide, soft chair. She looks like a queen in a well-deserved throne, and Audra thinks that she would love to get on her knees and worship. 

Which is. Shit. A very normal thought to have, especially about somebody you just met. Good job, Auds, why don’t you just fully give in to your creepy tendencies all at once. Very healthy of you. Audra is used to random, quick crushes, ones that flare suddenly but burn out quickly, but this feels, well. Bigger, somehow. Less like a firework, more like a steady fire in a hearth, cared-for, protected, central to the home.

“So, Bev tells me you just moved here?” Audra opens their conversation. She pulls deeply from her acting training, hoping she can fake any level of calm at all. 

“Mm-hmm. I retired my fashion house in the last couple of years, and now I’m focused solely on my writing. My publishing house contacts are out here, and, well. A change of scenery didn’t sound like a bad idea.”

“The weather doesn’t hurt, either,” Bev laughs, winking across the table at Kay. In return Kay smiles, and Audra is momentarily thrown off by how cute her smile is. Shit, can she do no wrong? Audra silently crosses her fingers and hopes for a shitty personality (unlikely, given that she’s Bev’s friends, but a girl can dream).

“I won’t miss the Chicago weather, no,” Kay laughs, playfully slapping Bev’s hand on the table. Oh, to be Bev’s fingers, touched by Kay… “Might miss the winterwear, though. I had to give away so many good coats.”

“Ugh, I love a coat,” Audra sighs. “They’re all wasting away in the back of my closet but I couldn’t give them up. Oh but, uh, what are you writing?”

“Womanist-focused essays, mostly. I have a collection of intersectional feminist essays that should be coming out next year, if I hit my deadlines.”

Shit. So not a bad personality. Kind of the opposite, really.

“Wow, I love that. Any chance you would share some with me?”

“With you?” Kay gives her a slow smile, eyes dipping at Audra’s mouth for a moment. “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind sharing.”

Shit. Shitshitshit. _Shit._ Audra squeezes her thighs together and tries to remember–

“So how is Bill?”

“Hmm?” Audra swivels her head to look at Bev, who she almost forgot was even there. “Oh, he’s fine. Holed up in his writing den like a recluse.”

“Sounds like an exciting marriage. Glad he’s not _my_ husband,” Bev laughs.

Shit.

“Ah,” Kay says. “Husband?”

Shit.

“Yeah.”

_Shit._

The rest of the brunch passes with markedly less flirting, which is, well. Unfortunate, but understandable. Audra tries her best to keep communicating with Kay via only her gaze that she’s interested, but Kay seems to only give her tight and polite smiles back. Shit. Fuck. Shitfuck. Fucking wonderful Bev, throwing a blanket over the first fire Audra has felt in a long time.

Bev is the first to leave, squeezing both of them in one hug as they wait outside for their cars to be returned by valet. 

“I’ll text you both soon!” she says as she jumps in her car, a crazy, red, loud thing that Audra can’t help but love. Audra turns to Kay, still grinning, to find the other woman smiling a little shyly.

“Well, it was nice to meet you,” Kay says slowly, politely. The tone squeezes at Audra’s heart.

“Can I have your number?” Audra blurts out quickly, almost as just one word. Kay blinks and huffs out a laugh, eyes squinting with her smile.

“Yeah, I guess?”

“Well only if you _want_ to, it’s no pressure really, I just thought–”

“No, no. I would. I would really like to keep in touch, Audra,” Kay says. As if to emphasize this point, when she says this she reaches out to squeeze Audra’s forearm, and then lets go, slowly letting her fingers drag down Audra’s sensitive skin as her hand drops. Shit.

“Good,” Audra manages, voice choked. “That sounds. Yeah.”

They exchange numbers, and then Audra’s car arrives. Audra opens her arms enough to indicate, well, hug? Kay provides, and Audra’s heart almost stops when this hug reveals that Kay is packing some _serious_ muscle under the suit holy _shit._ Audra lets out a breathless giggle and, finally, steps away and into her car.

She’s just finished tipping the valet and is settling into her seat when the bluetooth Siri announces that she has a new text.

“New text from Kay: that car is trash lol.”

Audra’s gaze snaps to the window, where Kay is smirking at her and winking.

Audra is going to _die._ But it’s going to be _fucking fantastic._


	2. Chapter 2

Audra’s skin feels like it’s buzzing every millisecond that she’s awake, nerves alight and ready to spring at any moment. This might explain why she only makes it ten hours before breaking in front of Bill.

She’s doing her morning workout, she’s eating a sensible and protein-rich breakfast, she’s showering and pampering her body, she’s checking her email; yet throughout all of this parroting of her normal routine, there’s a part of her brain that’s haunted by thoughts of Kay. When she finishes a set of tricep extensions strong and her trainer congratulates and encourages her, Audra only registers it as a faint buzzing. Instead, she’s imagining that Kay is there, off to the side, watching the sheen of sweat on her body with dark eyes. As Audra finishes off her overnight oats with various nuts and fruits added, she imagines offering a spoonful to Kay and feeding it to her, contemplating the exact shape her lips might take, the way her tongue would curl around the spoon as it’s fed to her. If her shower is a little long and lingering, it’s because she spends a while first trying to think about literally anything else, and then finally indulging in the thoughts of exactly what she might do if Kay were there, how she might twist her body under the water spray, the way she might get down on her knees for the other woman.

Audra barely manages to wait until a socially acceptable time in the morning (after all, not everybody rises before the sun) before sitting down to compose a safe, friendly text to Kay. She sits in one of the larger, more luxurious leather chairs in their living room, feet tucked underneath her and tv turned on but quiet, a veneer of plausible deniability. In case Bill ever emerges, she might be able to pass this all off as normal.  _ See, I’m just watching tv. Why am I staring at my phone so hard that it might burst into flames? Just waiting to hear back from my agent, naturally. _

She opens up the text chain from last night. After Kay’s opening line trashing her car, Audra had waited until she got home to send back a quick “I thought you said I had good taste?” with a winking emoji. An hour later, when Audra had settled into bed, her phone vibrated on her marble-top bedside table, and she scrambled to grab it immediately. Kay’s response had been to say “that remains to be seen...you might have to prove it to me” with the emoji that looked like a smirk. Audra had pressed her thighs together at seeing this, a quick and instinctual tightening she didn’t even realize had happened until her thighs relaxed. She had stared at this response, waited a few minutes, and then double-tapped it to give it the “haha” reaction.

And then, nothing.

Now, soon after ten a.m., she stares at the messages again. After thinking about the right thing to say for multiple long, tortuous minutes, she finally settles on something simple and innocuous.

**Audra: How do you take your coffee?** **  
** **Audra: Assuming you drink coffee haha**

To Audra’s surprise, the floating bubble that indicates the other person is typing appears almost immediately. Her toes curl underneath her and she finds herself holding her breath which is, sure, kind of crazy. Kay doesn’t make her wait very long.

**Kay: why? you doing a pickup lol**

**Audra: Haha idk I just wanted to know** **  
** **Audra: For the future**

**Kay: hmm** **  
** **Kay: okay bbgirl well for the future** **  
** **Kay: I take a cold brew with a splash of coconut milk**

**Audra: Nice… 😊** **  
** **Audra: Good to know** **  
** **Audra: For the future**

**Kay: damn girl now I’m thirsty** **  
** **Kay: for cold brew 😏**

**Audra: You know what? Me too 😉**

“Hey, you.”

Audra jumps a little in the chair, heart suddenly pounding in her chest. Her gaze whips up and there is Bill, looking freshly awake, a little sleep rumpled, and smiling in her direction. He’s only wearing his navy blue boxer briefs and a thick, grey cardigan, which is what he normally wears when he’s just woken up and doesn’t have the limb coordination to do much more. He stumbles over to the couch that’s adjacent to the chair she’s sitting in and flops down, curling up and hugging one of the couch pillows to his chest. She returns his sleepy, lazily smiling gaze with a tight smile of her own.

“G’morning, Billy,” she says with a small laugh. “Sleep well?”

“Better than usual, yeah.” He huffs out a small laugh as he says it, gaze lowering to smile at the floor before returning to hers. “Did you have a good time with the girls last night?”

“Oh yeah, definitely.” She carefully schools her features, pushing down the immediate instinct to turn completely tomato red. “Bev was great.”

“And her friend? Was it, uh...McCall? Kay McCall?”

“Oh, yeah, it was! She’s so great. Really accomplished. Really,” Audra’s brain buffers for a moment, trying to settle on a compliment that isn’t some creepy comment about her flawless, gorgeous appearance. “Really funny, friendly. I think you two would get along great, actually.”

“Oh?” Bill’s smile widens. “Yeah, I’ve heard good things about her. She’s a phenomenal writer.”

Audra’s hand squeezes on her own knee, realizing with some horror that she definitely has a type. She’s fucked.

“Do you have anything of hers on hand? I would love to, uh, read a little. Before I see her again.”

“Yeah, I think I have her first collection of essays from the late 90’s in my office? I’ll check later. You know…” He pauses here and reaches a hand out to cover hers on her folded-up knee. “I’m glad you’re making more friends, Auds. You spend so much time alone.”

“Heh, yeah,” she says with a rueful smile. “You know, you’re one to talk.”

“Do as I say, not as I do,” Bill intones in a serious voice that cuts off with a choked laugh. “Wow, that voice was terrible. Do  _ not _ tell Richie.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. Hey, how’s that loser doing, anyway?”

“Ugh, he’s so fucking annoying since he and Eddie got their shit together,” Bill groans. “Like I’m very happy for them,  _ very _ happy for them…”

“Because now they aren’t both blowing up your phone talking about the other?”

_ “Exactly, _ shit,” Bill laughs, rolling his eyes. “Now they have each other to bother all day. They’re deep in the honeymoon phase.”

“That’s sweet.” Audra thinks a little sadly about her own honeymoon phase with Bill, now over for several years. Back then, they could never be like they are now, even just sitting on separate furniture. They had been constantly connected in some way, twin parentheses holding onto one another, curves gently folding against curves, a hand grasping an arm, a leg wrapped around another leg. She’s pretty sure they weren’t disconnected for more than thirty seconds at a time for six months, like they needed to always have some point of physical connection to continue breathing. She doesn’t miss this time, not really. But it’s. Well. It’s definitely over.

“It would be nice to see everyone soon. Shit, I gotta see Bev soon, before she forgets I exist.”

Audra’s brain finally catches up with whatever Bill’s talking about, a flashing light in her subconscious blinking and letting her know  _ hey, here’s a chance, here’s an excuse. _

“We should invite her to come here for dinner. Her and Kay. Maybe tonight?”

Bill has the awareness to look a little shocked, huffing out a little laugh.

“Here? Tonight? You feeling okay, Auds?”

“Yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well normally when we host somebody you need at least a week to get the house deep cleaned first,” he ribs her gently. Shit. That’s probably true. 

“Yeah, but that’s for like, industry shit,” she says, after a few beats of silence. “This is friends. Family, really.”

Bill shrugs one shoulder, which turns into a yawn that he tries (and fails) to smother into his raised shoulder. “Yeah, I guess Bev is my family by now. Yeah. Sure, you can invite them over. I just need to get some writing done today if you want me to be around tonight.”

“Yeah, of course,” Audra says, trying (and failing) to smother the grin threatening to rip her entire face open wide. “I’ll leave you alone, then. And uh. I’ll let the girls know.”

“Sounds good,” Bill says, stumbling tiredly off of the couch. He claps a hand on Audra’s shoulder and squeezes before walking in the general direction of the chef’s kitchen. “I need some goddamn coffee.”

Yeah. She’s having a craving, too.

—

When the doorbell rings out Audra jumps a little, hitting her hip against the cabinet she had been leaning against, trying (and, honestly, failing) to look as casual as she thought she was supposed to feel. Bill stifles a laugh at this, snorting attractively into his glass of rye, neat.

"You okay over there, Auds?"

"Yeah," Audra huffs out a laugh, mindlessly rubbing at where her hip hit the cabinet.  _ This is fine, this is all fine.  _ "It's just, you know, a little sooner than I thought it would be?"

"Really?" Bill says, looking down at his Apple watch. "I thought they were supposed to be here a little while ago."

"Eh," Audra says, intelligently, as she starts for the door. "Well? We can't keep our guests waiting."

Because Audra will never be allowed to know peace, the first to arrive is Kay. Illuminated in her doorway, she looks like she's softly glowing in the golden light pouring out from the Denbrough-Phillips house. Tonight she's wearing another tailored suit, but this time it's a soft, petal green, a beautiful pastel against her dark skin. She's brought with her a bottle of whisky, which Audra knows Bill will go insane for when he sees it.

"Oh shit!"

Right on time, Bill comes up to the door. He puts his free hand out to shake Kay's, who returns the shake with what looks like a firm grip. Audra swallows hard, watching the exchange with a gaze that is, arguably, way too interested in what is going on.

"You must be Bill," Kay says with an amused smile. Audra watches as Bill nods, then lets go of their gripped hands. His right hand now free, he comfortably moves it to caress across Audra's back until it's loosely held on her hip, gently holding her waist. In any other circumstance, this might be nice, a wonderful change of pace, honestly, from the way they've been acting more like strangers lately who just happen to live in the same house. Right now, however, it might just be the last thing Audra wants him to do. She barely manages to hold back a wince at the sight of Kay's gaze sweeping down to look at the possessive clutch of her hip before returning to Bill's face, smile dimmed just slightly.

"That's me!" Bill is already slightly tipsy, annoyingly; he had apparently been on a roll today, writing more and better than he had anticipated, which of course means that he had to celebrate this minor victory early. "I've heard so much about you."

"Oh?" Kay's smile returned, just slightly, as her gaze drifted over to Audra. "Have you been talking about me?"

Audra makes an aborted noise somewhere between a choke and a giggle, which is. Well. Maybe the most attractive and alluring that she can manage, in this circumstance. It's very much not good, she knows, but it does make Kay's nose wrinkle in the sweetest, most endearing way, so Audra can count it as a win.

Bill, oblivious to the universe of moments that have just passed before his eyes, breaks into their silence with a laugh. "Audra really enjoyed meeting you, but no, mostly I've heard about you from Bev. She's pretty much in love with you."

"Not anymore," Kay says with a small laugh which is, well. It sure is something for Audra to think about. Later. Alone. When she has time to contemplate the implications of this, of what it might mean. Of what Kay and Bev could have looked like, together, hands clasped, legs moving slowly against each other...that is, if the implication is correct.

Christ, Audra may just need to get laid.

"Hey!" Bev's voice rings out from further down the driveway. Her boots are making a fun, loud click-clack as she speedwalks to the door, looking wind-worn but still so fucking beautiful it kind of hurts to look at her. She's also carrying a bottle of alcohol, a sweet rosé that looks like something she just picked up at random from the Total Wine down the street. Audra loves her for that. "What are we all doing standing in the doorway?"

Oh. Good point.

Audra laughs a little and moves out of the way, dislodging Bill's hand from her waist as she moves too quickly for him to follow along. It's not a metaphor,  _ really _ .

—

Dinner is, well. It's unusually charged, if Audra is being honest. Sitting next to Bill is normal, okay; they normally sit next to each other when they do eat together, as well as with other people. Audra never thought about this before now, about how little eye contact she gets to make with him in this arrangement, about how little they have to actually interact this way.

Not that she would be able to look at him much right now, anyway. Not with Kay sitting across from her.

She hasn't felt like this in a while, this level of charged tension with another person. Every time their gazes meet Audra can feel it, heat burning across her skin following Kay's gaze. Audra leans forward a little too much, maybe, arms pressing closer to her chest, lets her smile linger for a little too long, but Kay doesn't seem to mind. And, thankfully, nobody else at the table seems to notice. Bill and Bev are cackling loudly, as is their usual, trading jokes and old stories back and forth. Sometimes they remember to include the others at the table, but for once Audra isn't too upset about being left out; she has other things to focus on right now anyway.

Bill does seem to be having a good time getting to know Kay, though. When he's done reminiscing with Bev he turns his attention to the new writer at the table, trading stories about the publishing industry ("Fucked up, right?" "You're a white male." "Fair.") and trading ideas back and forth about how to get over blocks in their writing. By the time they're comparing their favorite barrel-aged spirits Audra is aware that her type is, unfortunately,  _ very _ consistent.

"Hey, want to join me in the kitchen for a moment? We can grab more drinks," Bev says, leaning across the table to grab Audra's attention.

"Yeah, of course," Audra says with a laugh, pushing back from the table. She's honestly a little relieved to be able to get away from the physical embodiment of her taste in people.

Still, that doesn't mean she feels prepared for the first thing that comes out of Bev's mouth when they're successfully out of ear-shot. For months Audra had been complaining about the layout of their house, wishing that it was open-concept, but now? Well. Now she can finally appreciate the saving power of fucking  _ walls. _

"So you have a type," Bev says with a teasing grin.

"Uh," Audra responds gracefully, shooting a glance over her shoulder and making a very dignified noise. "I'm not sure what you're talking about?"

When she turns back Bev is making the funniest face, clearly struggling to hold back on laughing in Audra's face. Audra winces, sets her glass down and sighs.

"Do you think Bill noticed?"

"Nah, he's been pretty oblivious lately. He's really more of a one-to-two-track mind kind of guy at the most, and sorry Auds, but I think you're a little further down the list at the moment."

"Yeah, I know." She knows that she sounds bitter, but, well. Could anybody really blame her for that? Obviously his primary track right now is writing. She wonders for a moment what the second track could possibly be, since it very clearly isn’t her. “He’s always been like this. But, I don’t know, Bev. I used to be number two.”

Bev reaches a hand out to cover Audra’s, and her face is so sweet and understanding. In that moment, it’s easy for Audra to understand how so many people could become totally enraptured in Bev. She could easily do it, she knows.

“Do you want me to kick his ass for you?”

Audra snorts out a laugh, but quickly covers it. She doesn’t know why she  _ didn’t _ expect Bev to immediately suggest violence, but it’s. Well. It’s endearing as hell. 

“No, no, that’s okay. You can’t punish Bill for being Bill.”

“Honey, are you happy?”

Audra pauses, thinking it over. Is she? 

“Happy enough, I guess,” she says, shrugging one shoulder. “At least I’m not  _ un _ happy enough to divorce him. I don’t exactly want to lose him. He’s my best friend.”

Bev is silent for a moment, eyes dragging all over Audra’s face, like she’s trying to decipher her on looks alone. Unlucky for her, Audra gets paid a lot of money–too much money, some could argue–to carefully control her face to look however she wants it to look. Hiding layers of unhappiness and loneliness is nothing for her.

“Okay, sweetie. If you’re sure. For the record, though, I don’t think you could lose him. He has a tendency to pop up in your life if you want him to or not.” She winks at Audra, lets her hand go and moves to finally,  _ actually _ pour them some more liquor. “You know, he has his own thing going on. It’s not my place to talk about it, but you know. I bet he’s having a lot of the same fears as you right now. You guys should talk. And also...I wouldn’t blame you if you  _ were _ having thoughts about Kay. I’ve been there.”

“When and how often and how was it?” Audra blurts out before she can think better of it. Bev snorts out a high-pitched laugh, slapping a free hand down on the counter. 

“Oh, Auds, I have stories. I have  _ stories. _ But I don’t want to spoil the experience for you,” she finally says with an exaggerated, comical wink. Audra smiles into her now-full glass and wonders, not for the first time that night, if she’ll ever actually have the opportunity to experience it for herself. What it might take and what it might cost. And if she’s willing to pay the price to find out.

—

Bev leaves after the four of them share dessert, begging off with lots of apologies and promises to come back soon, before her trip is over. When she leaves she grabs Audra in close and whispers in her ear, “I would support you,” and then pinches her ass. It makes Audra giggle, and the two bump foreheads before completely disentangling. Audra thinks, idly, about how nice it is to have female friends. She isn’t sure that this is the “normal” way for women to be friends, but it’s a way that she’s sure as hell enjoying.

“Well, I should go get some more writing done,” Bill says after Bev leaves. “You’re actually pretty inspiring to be around, Kay.” Audra silently agrees.

“Thanks, Denbrough,” Kay says with a laugh, her hands resting casually–attractively,  _ so _ attractively–in her pockets. “I hope some of my tips help. You can always ring me up if you need anything.”

“Careful! You won’t be able to get rid of me,” he says with a laugh, lightly clapping her on the shoulder. “Have a good night! Get home safe!”

Audra watches him as he disappears up the stairs. When she turns back, Kay’s looking at her, gaze a little unsure, with a small smile.

“Well, I should probably get going, huh,” Kay finally says, glancing at the door.

“You don’t have to,” Audra blurts out quickly,  _ too _ quickly. “You know the night is, uh. It’s young.”

“It’s eleven.” There’s a slow smile blooming across Kay’s face. Audra is happy to see that her eyes are lightening up, just a little. Audra’s breath catches to see Kay’s shields lowering, hope bubbling up in her stomach at what that might mean.

“Yeah. It is. You too old to stay up late with me or something?” Kay shrugs at this, taking her hands out of her pockets and grabbing one of Audra’s hands in her own.

“You better show me a good time, Phillips.”

Audra squeezes against Kay’s dry, strong hand, just a little rough but  _ so _ , so good, and she carefully, slowly drags her further back into the house. In her mind she’s doing quick calculations; Bill will probably stay in his office, and then when he’s done he’ll probably go straight to the master bedroom. Audra’s pretty sure that he won’t be going to the other side of the house, so she takes Kay with her to the library, which, true to Denbrough form, has its own liquor cabinet and ample seating. 

“Make yourself at home,” Audra says, squeezing Kay’s hand one last time before letting it go to grab a drink. “Do you want another drink?”

“No,” Kay says from the other side of the room. Predictably, she’s perusing the shelves. “I  _ do _ have to drive myself home eventually.”

“Terrible,” Audra says with a laugh, not wanting to think about that. “We have a million rooms in this house.”

“Yes, this house that you share with your  _ husband.” _

Audra just hums at this, noncommittal. She pours herself two fingers of the bottle Kay brought with her. Macallan, the bottle says, 12 years old. Sounds classy.

“Sure you can handle that?” Kay asks from across the room. She points a finger at the glass in Audra’s hand. “I thought you only drank sweet liquor.”

“I can handle it,” Audra says, a small grin playing across her face, as she plops down in one of the chairs. “I like the burn.”

“Do you?” Kay bites her bottom lip and lets her gaze sweep across Audra’s form where she’s sprawled out on the chair, posed carefully. Audra dressed that night to impress, but subtly; a cream, deep-v Lanvin cashmere sweater, form-fitting burgundy Balenciaga slacks that she knows hug tightly to the stretch of her toned legs. She looks comfortable yet sexy, the right balance she wanted to strike between “oh, this is just what I wear around the house” and “please, dear God, I need you to look at me.” She’s not sure that she could explain away what made her put on the La Perla push-up bra, but thankfully nobody is asking directly. Audra preens under Kay’s watchful gaze, and when her eyes reach back up to Audra’s face she takes a slow sip of the scotch whisky, tongue grazing out just slightly to run across her lips and chase the last drop of liquor in the sip. 

Kay is silent for a moment after this show, and Audra worries for a moment that she’s gone too far, too quick. It’s been so long since she’s tried to seduce somebody or made a real attempt at being alluring, and even longer since that person has been another woman. But, thankfully, Kay makes a deep sound in her throat and turns away, hands slightly shaking as she runs them along the spines of the books on the shelf closest to her. 

That’s when Audra knows: she has her. She takes another sip and waits. Now she knows that she can wait.

A few moments later, Kay barks out a laugh and pulls from the shelf a copy of her own book. 

“You want my autograph, babygirl?” 

Audra grins and bites her bottom lip, gaze going between Kay’s face and the book.

“I want  _ something, _ yeah.”

Kay raises her eyebrows a little and walks over, dropping down into the chair next to Audra’s.

“Do you have a pen?”

Audra runs her hands down her own body, patting down against her non-existent pockets.

“Apparently not,” she finally says with a laugh. Kay’s gaze finally pulls up from Audra’s legs back to her face.

“Women’s clothes, am I right?”

“The worst. Yours, though…”

Audra lets her own gaze linger down the line of Kay’s body. She’s loved looking at women in suits before, sure, but nobody wears it like Kay does. She looks at once deeply elegant, untouchable in her chicness, and so sexy that Audra feels like her whole body is going to combust if she doesn’t get to touch. With that thought, she reaches out, tentatively running a few fingers along Kay’s knee. When she doesn’t immediately retreat, Audra lets her fingers trail up slowly, so painfully slowly, up her inseam. She can feel the strong, toned thighs underneath, and she’s never had to work so hard to not grab, squeeze and push them open, the urge to get on her knees before this woman almost deafening in its roar in her ears.

But then, before she gets too far, Kay’s hand reaches down and stops Audra’s hand. Their eyes meet.

“I’m sorry, babygirl. But I'm not looking to be a straight woman’s experiment.” 

Audra huffs out a laugh. If  _ that’s _ all. “Bold of you to assume I’ve never fucked a woman before.”

She doesn’t miss the slight darkening of Kay’s eyes, the way her hand spasms and grips harder at Audra’s. For a moment, Audra is sure that this has cleared everything up, that nothing else could stand in their way. She’s about to continue her finger’s journey up closer, so much closer, but Kay sighs, takes Audra’s hand and removes it completely from her leg.

“Alright, well I’m not sure if I want to be a  _ married _ woman’s side piece.”

Shit. Audra closes her eyes, breathes in deep, and leans back. Yeah. That’s. That’s okay.

“Fair enough. I guess you’re much more of a full meal than an appetizer.” 

Kay huffs out a small chuckle, and Audra opens her eyes. She’s still sitting there, though she looks half like she wants to run away. Audra hopes against hope for a small, still moment that she hasn’t ruined everything. Even if she never fucks her, she wants to be in her life, in her orbit.

“Did I...did I ruin everything?”

“No, no, of course not babygirl,” Kay says with a small smile. “But I should probably go home. Before you do something you can’t take back.”

“Can I walk you out to your car?”

“Of course,” Kay says with a smile.

They stay further apart during the entire walk back through the house. The distance feels too much, so much further than she wants it to be. They make it all the way outside, past the door and a little down the way of the long driveway, before Kay reaches out. Her fingers grasp for Audra’s, and she whispers her name, quiet. They look at each other, gazes meeting despite the darkness. Audra grasps Kay’s fingers and drags her, quickly, to the dark side of the house, and carefully boxes her in against the wall. 

Kay’s hands are hot, grasping either side of Audra’s face, shaking just a little. She runs her thumbs along Audra’s cheekbones and stares, hungrily, at her lips. Audra’s own hands grasp hard at Kay’s hips, so certain that she can feel her body heat through the layers of the suit.

“Kay...I thought you didn’t want to be a side piece.” 

“You made a compelling argument.” 

“What was it?” 

“Your...everything.”

They crash together then, mouths meeting hot and already open. A groan is punched out of Audra at the first touch of Kay’s plush lips. She greedily runs her tongue along the gorgeous line of her cupid’s bow, then along her bottom lip, before pulling it between her own lips to nip and suck at it. Her hands move hot along the line of her body, dipping underneath the suit jacket to grasp at her small, nipped-in waist, so delicate, with hard, earned muscles below. She pulls herself in closer by Kay’s waist, slotting one leg between Kay’s to give her something to ride against. Within moments she’s dizzy with it, already well on the way to soaking in her own pants, hands moving down to grab at Kay’s ass and pull her closer, further up on her leg, encouraging her to grind on Audra’s leg already. Shit, they’re  _ forty, _ they should know better, and yet she’s dry humping the sexiest woman she’s ever met in the dark, against the wall of her own house, and she’s sure she could come just like this within moments, especially if Kay keeps doing that  _ thing _ with her tongue and–

Her phone vibrates, where she had stashed it down her top.

“Fuck,” Audra groans, pulling back and grabbing down her shirt to grab the phone. Kay is giggling, head leaned back against the wall, still slowly grinding against Audra with her hips.

“In your bra? Really?”

“No pockets, remember?” Audra giggles. She stops laughing, however, when she sees who the notification is from.

“Your husband?”

Of course she couldn’t say  _ Bill. _ Kay had to say it in the most accurate way possible, and the remembrance drips cold down Audra’s back.

“Yeah. He wants to know where I am.”

They slowly disentangle. Audra takes the opportunity to run her hands down Kay’s sleeves and sides, pretending to be fixing her suit when in reality all she wants is one last sense memory of what her body feels like. 

“I’ll call you, okay?” she says, finally, looking up at Kay’s eyes. Kay has closed off her gaze again, but she can sense something else in them. Maybe a quiet resignation. Audra hopes that she feels it, too, this inexplicable pull toward each other. This is wrong, yes, in a thousand fucked-up ways. But it also feels inevitable. 

“I’ll be waiting.” 

Audra waits until Kay’s car turns the corner before she goes back into the house. Bill is in the kitchen, snacking on some cookies and smiling down at his own phone. When she enters he jumps a little, looking guilty. 

“Hey, sorry.”

“You’re allowed cookies, Billy,” she teases lightly, smiling at her husband who she  _ does _ still love, in some ways.

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” he says with a choked out laugh, turning his phone face-down on the counter. “Where were you?”

“Just walking Kay out.”

“Did she have a good time?”

Audra bites her lip. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure she did.”

“Great!” Bill clears his throat and taps his fingers on the counter. “Well I have a little more work to do, but I’ll see you in bed later, okay honey?”

“Sounds good,” Audra says, voice a little too fake, too bright.

Audra burns through her entire nighttime routine, rushing as she brushes, flosses, and does her nine-step nighttime skincare. She lasts about five seconds after crawling into bed before she shoves her fingers down her panties, remembering how Kay felt, how she sounded, the way she kissed. It feels like it’s barely any time at all before her orgasm rips through her, rhythmic tightening of waves as she pants, wet and as quiet as she can get, to the thought of how those lips and tongue would feel against her pussy.

Because she’s a glutton for punishment, she grabs her phone before she falls asleep.

**Audra: I came so fucking hard thinking about you**

It’s only a few minutes later that she gets a text back.

**Kay: same** **  
** **Kay: when can i see you again bbgirl**

Soon. But not soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come scream about Kaudra with me on the bird app @mouthytrash

**Author's Note:**

> If you didn't hate this, I'm currently writing a Reddie SMAU on Twitter at [@omgroommatesau](https://twitter.com/omgroommatesau)


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